Bonifica,

Here ist a story dat actually took place years ago in Leesebaum.  Belle an Erewan were members oft de aken Woodt from Cromley.  Oft course, de part about de star ist chust to make de story a bit more fun.  Dis ist a copy dat some scribe wrote down one time I was to tell de story, but it isn't de way dat I am to write.  Darn Gadje!

Bonifica,

Lanesh Kaner

DOME

                                           Merrick, Star of Wishes.

In the cold of winter, when the snow covers the earth so that it might hatch a spring, people come together to keep each other company and to keep each other warm.  To keep each other warm they share their feasts and fires; to keep each other company, they share their stories.

On a night so cold that the snow grumbles under your feet, and the wind itself is frozen into place, and even the moon stays close to the sun to keep warm; if you venture from the warmth of  the hearth and dare the peril of the cold, you may be treated to the most wonderful gift.  For it is on these nights that the stars (who are not afraid of the cold at all) gather together to hold a "Shining Contest."  And so it is that each of them puff themselves up, and push, and grunt, and groan until their cheeks are as hot as a white fire.  And then they shine.  So it is on these nights, you can see stars that you never thought were there at all.  And looking up at them, you can't help marvelling and thinking that they're doing it all just for you.

Oh, you say, you didn't know that stars had shining contests, and talked to each other, and that they sleep when the sun comes out, and when they sleep, like you and me, they dream.  And what does a star dream?  And what could make the dreams come true?  Because, if you're a star, you can't just wish upon a star like everyone else does, it doesn't work for them like it worksfor you and me.  No, stars have a different way in which their dreams come true.  And here is that tale.

Her name was Belle, and golden was her hair, like the first rays of the sun at the dawn of a beautiful  morning.  And so was her sunrise into the small village of Stonewood.  Whenever she walked, it was as if Tyrra itself would move to breathe deep the fragrance of her loveliness.  In her hands she carried a bow, on her back a quiver of arrows, on her face, an expression of single-mindedness.  She had journeyed from her home in the Elven forests in search of the Elven lords of Cromley, the Brotherhood of the Oaken Wood.

She had heard of their deeds of bravery and valor and sought to first learn from them, and then perhaps in time, to be proven worthy enough to join them.  And so she set about the task of proving herself.

Perhaps it was harder for one blessed with beauty, for a man can  overlook many faults when he thinks from his heart and not his head.  And Belle was proud.  So she threw herself into her training, seeking to be accepted for what she could do rather than how she looked.  Belle watched the masters of the Oaken Wood, noticing the style and grace with which they fought.  She studied their battle strategies, the way they worked together.  One thing she knew they lacked, the ability to engage their foes from a distance.

Thus she proved her point in the first skirmish they faced together. Straight was her aim and powerful the strikes from her arrows that many beasts fell before the proud warriors had chance to swing a blade.  It

Was then that Belle knew she'd have a place in the Brotherhood.  She had got their attention.

One day, not long after she had entered Stonewood, there was talk of a Wyrmm that plagued a nearby village.  Belle chose to accompany a band of adventurers in search of the Wyrmm in order to destroy it.  But, somehow they had gotten lost along the way and found themselves in a strange land with strange smells and strange powers.  Their path led them to what seemed to be an invisible door; all could see on the other side but there was no way to get through.

"I will let you enter if one of you plays my game." came a voice.  They looked around but there was no one to be found.  "I will let you enter if one of you plays my game."  "Speak of this game." responded Belle, 

"What game is it that you seek to play?"

It was a word game, and she would be the one to play.  The stakes were simple to understand.  If Belle won the game, all would be allowed to progress, however, if she lost, they all would get through the barrier,

But Belle would lose her soul.  Now I must remind you of the seriousness of the wager.  For when a person's soul has been taken from them, there is no will for the spirit to journey back to the land of the living.  To lose your soul is to give up hope of resurrection.  For any one, this is a sober thought, but for an Elf whose way it is to live a long and complete life, it is more than a sacrifice it is almost sacrilege.

The game was simple, name an animal that would defeat the one chosen by your opponent.  "Ant" offered the voice.  "Wasp" countered Belle.  "Bird" spoke the voice.  "Cat" responded Belle.  "Dog"-"Wolf", "Bear-Lion",

"Sarr...Sarr" spoke the voice.  But Belle could not think, it was as if her mind was frozen in place, perhaps it was an enchantment, perhaps it was so unexpected.  "Sarr" boomed the voice.  "What defeats a Sarr?"  No answer.

The others looked in horror as the color in Belle's face began to fade, some shaking there heads in disbelief that she would loose.  Some quietly blessed their luck that it was not they who would loose their soul.  "Hah, your  soul is mine, elf-maiden.  You lose!  You may now all enter."

However, never did they find the Wyrmm, perhaps it was all a trick of the Infernal Creatures who sought to entertain themselves like a child with a toy.  And so it was that with luck they found their way back to

Stonewood and the relative safety of the village.  Quietly, Belle walked through the woods, alone, stunned in her grief, her heart bearing the sadness of her loss.  Perhaps she would just continue to walk into the woods like a man might simply walk into the ocean never to return.

But then it was that she learned the most important lesson of all:  she decided to seek help from others, she would not bear her grief alone.  A lesson so few learn.  She turned her steps toward the quarters of the

Brotherhood of the Oaken Wood.

When she came upon Sir Erevan, Knight of the Brotherhood, she bared her heart to him.  "Follow me." he said as he took her to a small circle of trees. They stepped inside and it was as if they were taken back to their Elven Homeland.  So beautiful was the place.  The moss hung down from the trees and glowed a soft green in the dark.  The smell of a thousand pine trees, and fresh rain, the sound of raindrops splatting against fat leaves, but never did one get wet.  It was as if each sense was raised to its fullest.

It was a place to make the heart happy.  At first it calmed her, but then she thought of what she would miss and her grief found its way once  again to her eyes.

Now I don't have to tell you what it does to a man to see a woman shed tears, especially a woman as beautiful as Belle.  And I don't have to tell you what it does to a man such as Sir Erevan to witness this.  He would relinquish his Knighthood, his wealth, even his honor, to remove a woman's pain.  Such is the way of a man whose head is so easily turned by a skirt.

They left the magic of the Elven Circle.  He knew what he would do.  Through the village they walked until they came to a big open field, they sat  down on the ground and looked up at the stars shining in the summer sky.

And so it was that Sir Erevan laden with sorrow for one of his own, his Oaken Wood - equal to equal; so it was that Sir Erevan in respect for one so skilled and brave, his fellow warrior - fighter to fighter; and so it was that Sir Erevan adoring the splendor of one so beautiful, his light - man to woman,  removed a pendant from around his neck.  Turning it in his hands, he looked into the sky and found a star, shining brighter than the others, then he spoke the words that would release the enchantment and release the only wish that it held.  His words were simple, "I wish for Belle to regain her soul."  A knight might call it duty, the thing expected, but a man may call it love, a gift given.  And so it was that a wish was made on a starry night in Elysia.

And so it was also that a star's wish had been granted as well.  Now we all know that the first person to wish on the first star of the night is granted the wish.  But the stars are different.  You see, the stars say among themselves that if you wish on the first act of love that is done after the sun sets, your wish will come true.   And so it was that when Sir Erevan wished upon the star, Merrick, there was another star, one barely seen in the sky, a star that always came in last at the shining contests, a star that may not have been so bright but was quicker than the rest, so it was that a star's wish was granted.  And somewhere in the sky behind Sir Erevan, a star fell quietly to the earth.  It was his wish to walk on the earth as a man.  And so my friends, if you happen someday upon a man whose cheeks glow white instead of red.  Tell him the tale of how love brought him to earth.

And there also fell from the sky, three Ravenholt gold, one for me, one for the storyteller, and one for the person who has entertained you.